The Bloggernacle Minute

I was offline for the weekend, so there were 131 posts in my Google Reader today (from 60 blogs, basically those listed on my sidebar). The better posts -- well, the ones I like, they may or may not be "better" -- make my Bloggernacle Highlights feed, an easy way for me (and you) to read them. The titles are posted in a list on the right sidebar, too. Below are the top ten posts, along with my short comments. You can read them and be gone in 60 seconds, or you can linger and follow the links. If I inexplicably left out your favorite post from the last 72 hours, you can bring balance back to the Force by posting a link in the comments.

From the most recent post, working backwards:

N. Eldon Tanner on Ordaining and Setting Apart Spencer W. Kimball

By a guest blogger at Juv-I, this timely post can be read as a commentary on the likely events that transpired on Sunday as Thomas S. Monson was nominated and approved by his fellow apostles, then ordained and set apart as the new President of the Church.

Mothers Who Know: Homes and Temples

Julie at T&S rehabilitates President Beck's recent Conference talk.

President Monson website

A Soft Answer is the firstest with the bestest when it comes to LDS PR and politics, here with links and details on the new President Monson web page. He looks better at 80 than at 21, go figure.

BYU Baseball Player Expelled for Not Attending Enough Church?

I am so glad this story did not get picked up by the national media. Please add that plea to your personal prayers for the next few days, in either general form ("Please don't let them make us look like fools") or as a particular request ("Please let them be so captivated by Super Tuesday that the baseball story stays under the radar and out of Sports Illustrated, at least until someone in Provo can clean up the mess. Oh, and tell someone in Provo to clean up the mess.").

Gordon B. Hinckley

Mark at BCC reviews some of the service President Hinckley rendered outside public view. In most hierarchies, credit moves up the chain while blame travels south. In the LDS hierarchy, problems go north, and the big ones can go all the way to the top.

President Hinckley’s Lancashire Soil

A little piece of England made it to Utah this week.

Faith and Signs

Newish blog. I don't know what this post really has to do with faith or signs, but I like the crisp photo of the LDS temple on the Big Island. For some reason, just knowing the Big Island has a temple makes me happy. There are now *seven* temples in Polynesia.

Making Women's History

At X2, Jana comments on LDS academic and author Laurel Thatcher Ulrich's new book.

Deconstructing the Book of Mormon, Introduction

Edgy title. More entries to follow in this series, it sounds like.

The Baptist Preacher in the Rexburg Idaho Temple, Part 8

Last but not least, Todd gives observations from his tour of the new Rexburg temple (which is scheduled to be dedicated Sunday February 10). Very nice comments.

Comments

[mike d.]

i hope they cover the byu baseball story myself. my brother had his endorsement suspended for the same reason. basically the bishop and stake president took the side of his landlord in a rent dispute (a civil matter that should have nothing to do w/ ones worthiness) but since they couldn't kick him out for that they used the church attendance excuse. basically he missed four sundays one semester, but three of them were due to his friends' missionary farewells. it took two months and a few visits to the president's office to finally get it overturned, by which time his grades were shot since he couldn't take any tests while his status was unresolved. the university did very little to help him in the situation and most of the staff was very unsympathetic to his situation.

if the only way to get some change at the university is through public embarrassment then i'm all for it. they're certainly not going to reform on their own.

[Kristine]

It's Laurel, not Laura Ulrich.

[Dave]

Thanks for the correction, Kristine.